On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 134

He tried to catch them off guard, but he was the one who was surprised.

“Ooooooh!”

“Seokhyun, nice, nice!”

“Good job!”

Song Seokhyun returned to the bench amidst the cheers of his teammates.

Kim Inhwan gave him a hug at the end of the high-fives.

“Hey, how did you know what was coming? I couldn’t read it at all,” Kim Inhwan asked, sounding genuinely amazed.

“I figured you were throwing a lot of splitters to the *hyung* [older brother/senior], so you wouldn’t throw a fastball to me.”

“Why do you only throw splitters to me? It’s annoying. I wouldn’t be so upset if I got even one fastball.”

“I throw what works. *Hyung*, you should just let one or two pitches go by.”

“Should I?”

Even after Song Seokhyun’s home run, the Scorpion fans began to stand and applaud.

It wasn’t to celebrate the home run.

It was applause welcoming Yuseonho, a legend of the Scorpions and a legend in professional baseball.

Clap clap clap clap.

Clap clap clap.

The applause was loud and sustained.

Yuseonho took off his helmet and raised both arms high.

The applause continued for a long time.

Manager Lee Geonhu crossed his arms and silently stared at Yuseonho.

“Why don’t you ever call?”

As Yuseonho stepped into the batter’s box, catcher Gu Seungcheol teased him.

“I’m busy, you know.”

“Busy my ass.”

Kang Guil looked at Yuseonho and slightly bowed his head.

Yuseonho also nodded at Kang Guil.

“Give me something good.”

“Good my ass.”

Gu Seungcheol signaled for a fastball inside.

Kang Guil looked troubled but followed the catcher’s call.

Bang!

-Strike!

Yuseonho, who had stepped back, burst into a hearty laugh.

“You sly dog.”

“Didn’t you see the strike come in? Are your eyes going bad? Go get them checked.”

Yuseonho stood closer to the plate.

“Give me one more inside; I’m going to swing and crush it.”

“Alright. I’ll give you one.”

Gu Seungcheol hesitated to give the sign even as he spoke.

You can’t expect to fool Yuseonho twice.

Gu Seungcheol aimed for Yuseonho’s swing with a splitter, but Yuseonho fouled it off.

“I told you to give me one inside. Why aren’t you giving it to me?”

“That was a mistake, a mistake.”

“What do you mean, a mistake?”

Gu Seungcheol requested a fastball on the outside.

Kang Guil threw carefully, but the ball slightly missed.

He pulled the mitt to frame the pitch [make it appear within the strike zone], but Yuseonho didn’t move.

“…….”

There was no call from the umpire.

Gu Seungcheol continued to hold out his mitt in disappointment, but it was still the same.

“Looks like someone has a cast on their arm,” Yuseonho joked.

Gu Seungcheol lowered his arm.

“Yuseonho takes the pitch.”

“There’s a saying that if Yuseonho doesn’t swing, it’s a ball. He’s arguably the best hitter in the league when it comes to plate discipline. Umpires are always conscious of Yuseonho. Calling a strike when Yuseonho is standing still? That’s a tough call for any umpire.”

“Yuseonho takes another ball. 2-1.”

“The Scorpions are playing cautiously as well.”

Yuseonho finally drew a walk and went to first base.

Gu Seungcheol pushed his cheek out with his tongue.

“That guy. He’s relentless when it comes to seeing the ball.”

Two outs, but runners on first and second.

The next batter, Choi Jaewan, struck out, swinging wildly at Kang Guil’s splitter.

Kang Guil couldn’t hide his disappointment and came down from the mound.

“Sorry, I should have gotten one more out.”

Kang Guil shook his head at Gu Seungcheol’s consolation.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault my pitches weren’t sharp enough.”

After the heated first inning, neither team scored again, which was surprising.

Lee Changhoon of Goat and Kang Guil of Scorpion showed why they were considered aces, keeping the game scoreless through the 6th inning.

The first to make a move was Goat.

Despite Lee Changhoon’s strong performance, they brought in their bullpen in the 7th inning to lock down the game.

The Scorpions also changed pitchers and started chasing, but their batting lineup couldn’t keep up.

Both teams, who had burned a lot of energy early on, ended the game with Song Seokhyun’s 2-run home run in the first inning as the final score.

“Goat takes the victory today, starting the mid-week 3-game series on a good note.”

“The score was low today, but it was a very high-level game. The pitchers pitched well, and the fielders made some great plays.”

“Song Seokhyun’s first-inning home run became the game-winning RBI [Run Batted In].”

“When the pitching is this good, one or two runs often become the game-winning runs.”

“Today, Lee Jiseong and Yuseonho played their part, making the Scorpions feel a bit bitter.”

“From the Scorpions’ perspective, it’s probably a mixed bag. Both players got on base a lot, but there were no extra-base hits. The Scorpions probably expected this much. On the other hand, the Scorpions acquired a big talent in Lee Nakgyun, so they don’t have much to regret.”

“Goat won, but it was a close victory. We can expect fierce games tomorrow and the day after as well.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game too.”

* * *

Although they won the game, Ham Seonghoon’s expression wasn’t bright.

A narrow victory.

It was a game that would have gone into extra innings if it hadn’t been for Song Seokhyun’s home run.

It was fortunate that the pitching staff was at its best today, but who knows how the game would have turned out if they had given up even one run.

He was concerned that they hadn’t scored a single point after the first inning.

He already knew about the Scorpions’ solid bullpen, and they lived up to their reputation.

Lee Jiseong and Yuseonho are playing their part, but they are still lacking compared to other teams’ lineups.

Both of them haven’t fully recovered their condition, so their performance is inconsistent.

Seol Jinil and Kim Inhwan have been doing well recently, but they are streaky hitters.

In the end, Song Seokhyun is the only hitter who consistently performs well in the core lineup.

Kim Inhwan is a player he is grateful for just for doing this much, but Yuseonho has not yet shown his full potential.

“Surely… it can’t be.”

Ham Seonghoon shook his head.

He must be in the process of getting his condition back up.

It can’t be an aging curve [decline in performance due to age].

No matter how good their performance is, it is difficult to expect anything after the post-season with streaky hitters.

The key is Yuseonho.

Song Seokhyun and Yuseonho must consistently perform well in the team’s lineup to balance out the other players’ inconsistencies.

“Show them, Seonho, Yuseonho. Show them you’re not washed up yet.”

Catcher’s Success Story

Speed

The second game of the mid-week series, Goat vs. Scorpions.

There was a short strategy meeting before the game.

“It was really good that we shut down Hwang Gideok yesterday. We have to keep Hwang Gideok from getting on base today too. Be mindful of walks, trust the shift [defensive realignment], and compete aggressively. Got it?”

“Yes.”

After the meeting, Han Minseok, who was scheduled to start for Goat, licked his lips.

“Hwang Gideok, Hwang Gideok. I’m tired of hearing about him.”

Song Seokhyun said,

“He’s the fastest in the league, so we have to be careful.”

“You have a good arm too. You can catch him. Aren’t you overreacting- Ah!”

Kim Jeongryul playfully slapped Han Minseok’s butt.

“The pitcher has to do well. Are you going to leave it all up to the catcher’s arm?”

“Ah, *hyung*. Take it easy. It hurts, it hurts.”

“It hurts because I hit you to hurt. You’ll have a headache if Hwang Gideok gets on base, so why are you whining so much?”

“It’s because you’re praising him too much. It’s just second base if he steals, can’t we just get the remaining hitters out?”

“You’re confident, huh?”

“Shouldn’t I have that much pride if I’m a starter?”

Han Minseok shrugged his shoulders and walked ahead.

Kim Jeongryul put his arm around Song Seokhyun’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be tough today, Song Seokhyun.”

“Why?”

“Does he only give up walks for a day or two? That’s him laying the groundwork. It means it’s not his fault even if he lets a runner on base.”

“Tsk. I saw the Scorpions running yesterday, and they were really fast. Hwang Gideok must be even faster.”

“Just think that you missed him if you send him to first base. It’s easier on your mind.”

“Is he that fast?”

“His quick motion isn’t that great either. Just give up. It’s easier.”

“Hmm.”

Song Seokhyun narrowed his brows.

“Is he that fast?”

* * *

“It’s just one or two points in the end.”

Scorpions’ strategy meeting time.

The manager himself stood in front of the players.

“As you saw yesterday, Goat is not an easy team anymore. The starters were always good, but the bullpen has become solid too. The lineup is also strong enough that you can get hit if you’re not careful. These games come down to one or two points in the end. To get one or two points, speed is important. Hwang Gideok.”

“Yes.”

“You have to open the door [create opportunities]. Han Minseok is the type to give up a lot of walks. Pick your pitches calmly.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“The same goes for the other guys. Focus on walks rather than hits today. We’ll score one point at a time. Don’t be greedy, just one point at a time.”

The manager wrote Song Seokhyun’s name on the white board.

“Don’t be afraid. No matter how good his arm is, the pitcher is Han Minseok. He’s different from Lee Changhoon. There’s definitely a gap to exploit. Persistently latch on [take advantage]. It’s okay to fail at stealing, just be persistent.”

“Yes, I understand.”

* * *

The infield stands were already full even before the game started.

The outfield was also quickly filling up with fans.

-Play ball!

“The game begins. It looks like we’re already seeing signs of a sellout today. It’s not often that a mid-week game sells out this quickly, but there seems to be a lot of interest in this Scorpions-Goat game.”

“That’s right. A high-level pitching duel unfolded yesterday, and above all, it’s the day Yuseonho and Lee Jiseong are playing their first game against their former team, so baseball fans are very interested. Because yesterday’s game was so tight, both Scorpions fans and Goat fans have high expectations for today’s game and have come to the stadium.”

“As we speak, Lee Jiseong has already taken two balls [pitches].”

“Lee Jiseong’s plate discipline has improved. He’s picking the pitches well.”

Lee Jiseong, who came out as the leadoff hitter for Goat, let two consecutive pitches from Scorpion’s starting pitcher Jo Sanggung go by: an outside fastball and a changeup.

Catcher Gu Seungcheol puffed out his cheeks.

“Can you see the ball well?”

“It’s just a feeling, a feeling.”

That was Lee Jiseong’s answer to Gu Seungcheol’s question.

Gu Seungcheol’s eyes were on Lee Jiseong’s knees.

His weight is heavily on his front leg.

It’s an extreme contact stance.

“Can you even get it past the infield with that?”

Lee Jiseong simply answered with a smile.

‘Fastball, inside.’

If a lot of weight is placed on the front leg, accuracy will increase, but power will decrease a lot.

Swinging while shifting the weight from the back leg to the front is to gain power, but since the weight is already heavily on the front, it is difficult to put power into the swing.

The hit from yesterday came to mind, but it is undeniable that he is vulnerable to inside pitches in his current batting stance.

“Pitcher, windup.”

Jo Sanggung lifted his leg and threw the ball.

A fastball that digs into the body of a left-handed batter thrown by a right-handed pitcher.

Lee Jiseong stepped back.

-Strike!

“Jo Sanggung throws a strike after two balls.”

“It was a two-ball situation, so he should have been looking for a good pitch to hit, but the inside pitch came in too tight, so he avoided it. He has a disappointed expression on his face, but it seems okay to say that it was a good pitch even if it was a bit inside.”

Lee Jiseong couldn’t do anything about the inside pitch.

Gu Seungcheol signaled for an inside pitch again.

Bang!

“This time it’s a ball.”

“It was a bit too far inside. This makes it 3-1. The pitcher is at a disadvantage, right?”

Jo Sanggung threw a fastball on the outside, but Lee Jiseong pushed the ball between third and shortstop and reached first base.

“Tsk, he’s become difficult.”

Gu Seungcheol licked his lips.

The second batter for Goat is Seol Jinil.

A sign came from the Scorpions’ bench.

Outside fastball.

It was a sign to check Lee Jiseong’s steal attempt.